Dashcam company eyes rise in civilian sales

They believe people are likely to start using cameras for their own defense against police claims

By PoliceOne Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A company that produces dashboard-mounted cameras is saying that civilians are beginning to buy them for their own protection — and it’s a trend they believe will only keep growing.

Bill Gremminger with Dashcam USA says people are realizing the cameras can be easily used to their legal advantage to argue a claim made by an officer.

"Guys are issued citations for, like, running a red light and then they play the video for the officer and the officer says 'Oh, I saw that at a different angle,'" he told CBS St. Louis.

"One fella was pulled over in a town in a southern state and the police wanted to search his vehicle and he said 'no,' They accused him of crossing over the line while he was driving, and when they discovered he had a dashcam they let him go."

At a rate of about $150 , Gremminger says he believes most cars will have a dashcam in the near future, especially if insurance companies start offering incentives for drivers who own them.